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Opens in a new window Credit: AdGuard AdGuard VPN + Ad Blocker Family Security Suite $34.97
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Peacock has released the official trailer for Dig, an upcoming comedy series by Amy Poehler and Michael Schur (Parks and Recreation, The Good Place). 

Based on the novel Excavations by Kate Myers, Dig follows a group of archeologists and students working on a Greek excavation site. However, the expedition takes an unexpected turn when they discover a rare artefact. 

"When the team uncovers a long-buried secret with the potential to rewrite history, they find themselves at the center of a high-stakes international conspiracy," Dig's logline reads.

Led by Poehler, Dig's cast features Geraldine Viswanathan (Bad Education), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls), Antonia Thomas (The Good Doctor), and Hugh Laurie (House). The trailer teases a few other familiar faces as well, including Jason Mantzoukas (Taskmaster) and Brennan Lee Mulligan (Dimension 20).

Dig premieres Nov. 23 on Peacock.

AT&T settled a $177 million class-action lawsuit last year, agreeing to pay customers whose personal information was stolen in two data breaches. A Texas district court has since approved the settlement agreement on Oct. 2. However, even if you were impacted, this doesn't mean a windfall is coming your way.

SEE ALSO: AT&T data breach impacts 'nearly all' customers

In March 2024, AT&T announced that data belonging to approximately 73 million current and former customers had been found on the dark web. The data appeared to be from 2019 or earlier, and included personal information such as social security numbers.

Four months later in July, AT&T discovered a second major data breach. A bad actor had accessed AT&T's cloud server and downloaded records of customers' calls and texts, as well as their phone numbers. This breach impacted nearly every AT&T customer who used the telco's network between May 1 and Oct. 31, 2022, as well as some on Jan. 2, 2023.

Customers filed multiple class-action lawsuits against AT&T which were later combined. The company ultimately agreed to pay a cash settlement fund of $177 million: $149 million for those impacted by the first breach, and $28 million for the second. Though that is no small chunk of change, the amount each individual claimant receives will be significantly smaller. After more than $18 million is subtracted for lawyers' fees, the remaining settlement must be divided among several million people.

Claimants in the AT&T class-action settlement are split into three tiers, each of which will receive a different payout. Tier 1 class members had their social security number exposed by the breach discovered in March 2024. Over 1.65 million people made claims as members of this class, and will each receive around $39-$40.

Tier 2 claimants were impacted by the same breach, but did not have their social security number exposed. More than 687,000 people submitted claims as part of this tier, and will each get approximately $7.50-$8.10.

Finally, Tier 3 claimants were impacted by the July 2024 breach. Over 1.5 million of these class members will take home around $6.50-$7.10 each.

People in Tier 1 could submit a claim for up to $5,000 if they had documentation proving they suffered actual losses due to the AT&T breaches. Similarly, those in Tier 2 could claim up to $2,500 if able to show such losses as well. These aren't mutually exclusive either, so claimants could receive up to $7,500 if they are part of both tiers. Even so, the majority of class members are unlikely to have documented losses.

Unfortunately, if you haven't already submitted a claim, it's too late to do so now. The deadline to opt in for a payout from AT&T's settlement was Dec. 18 last year. If you didn't submit a claim before then, you will not receive any money. Those applying for a higher payout due to documented losses also had to submit their evidence by Sept. 8 this year.

If you didn't opt in but also didn't explicitly exclude yourself from the class by Nov. 17, you are still bound by the settlement's terms. This means that you can't bring your own lawsuit against AT&T for the same breaches, so there's no chance of you getting anything at all.

It isn't clear exactly when class members will receive their money.  The official settlement website states that even after the court approves the settlement, appeals may delay any payouts. Class members will only begin receiving settlement money after the time window for appeals has expired, and all claims have been reviewed. However, if no appeals are filed, payments are expected to begin around December this year.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier for people who've played football.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Assembling a team

• Green: Reggie, who?

• Blue: Backfield route tree

• Purple: Gymnastics equipment

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Club

• Green: Reggie____

• Blue: Receiving Routes for a Running Back

• Purple: Rhythmic Gymnastics Apparatuses

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #765 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Club: GROUP, SIDE, SQUAD, TEAM

• Reggie____: JACKSON, MILLER, WAYNE, WHITE

• Receiving Routes for a Running Back: ANGLE, FLAT, SWING, WHEEL

• Rhythmic Gymnastics Apparatuses: CLUBS, HOOP, RIBBON, ROPE

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalog.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 28, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for October 28, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for October 28 Pips

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 6-4, placed vertically; 4-1, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 4-1, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for October 28 Pips

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically; 3-5, placed horizontally; 4-0, placed vertically.

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally; 5-5, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (0): Everything in this space must be greater than 0. The answer is 0-6, placed vertically.

Less Than (1): Everything in this space must be less than 1. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for October 28 Pips

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-6, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-0, placed vertically.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 3-0, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-4, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 1-4, placed horizontally.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

Prepare.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

BRACE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Soft bread filling.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 28, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

DOUGH

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Worship.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Oct. 28, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Oct. 28, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

DEIFY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A form of writing.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

PROSE

Final Hurdle hint

Darkest color.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

BLACK

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

TL;DR: Watch Genoa vs. Juventus in Serie A for free on SportyNet. Access this free livestream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Serie A is showcasing some interesting midweek fixtures, including Genoa vs. Juventus. The visitors are looking to secure three points and move into the top six places in the standings. Juventus have made a decent start, but fans will expect to compete at the top end of the table.

If you're interested in watching Genoa vs. Juventus in Serie A from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is Genoa vs. Juventus?

Genoa vs. Juventus in Serie A kicks off at 3:45 p.m. ET on Oct. 28. This fixture takes place at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

How to watch Genoa vs. Juventus for free

Genoa vs. Juventus in Serie A is available to live stream for free on SportyNet.

SportyNet is geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can live stream Genoa vs. Juventus for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Genoa vs. Juventus for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

4. Visit SportyNet

5. Watch Genoa vs. Juventus for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watchGenoa vs. Juventus without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture (plus other Serie A action) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Serie A?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on SportyNet, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.

Live stream Genoa vs. Juventus for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Watch Venezia vs. Inter in Serie A for free on SportyNet. Access this free livestream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Serie A is back for a batch of midweek fixtures, including Venezia vs. Inter. The visitors have made an incredibly strong start to the season, winning seven of their opening eight fixtures. Venezia are bottom of the standings after winning just one of their eight games. Fans will expect Inter to win this clash comfortably.

If you're interested in watching Venezia vs. Inter in Serie A from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is Venezia vs. Inter?

Venezia vs. Inter in Serie A kicks off at 1:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 28. This fixture takes place at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium.

How to watch Venezia vs. Inter for free

Venezia vs. Inter in Serie A is available to live stream for free on SportyNet.

SportyNet is geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can live stream Venezia vs. Inter for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Venezia vs. Inter for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

4. Visit SportyNet

5. Watch Venezia vs. Inter for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Venezia vs. Inter without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture (plus other Serie A action) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Serie A?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on SportyNet, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.

Live stream Venezia vs. Inter for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Looking for spoiler-free NYT Connections hints or just wondering why Connections is trending today? We've got what you need to understand the clues for today's puzzle without spoiling any of the answers.

Of course, Mashable has also provided daily hints and answers for Connections, Wordle, and Strands for years, so we can help you if that's also what you need.

While we are focused more on meanings than hints in this story, sometimes learning that many of the words have completely unrelated meanings is a clue in and of itself. Connections frequently includes clues that involve words within words and other visual clues.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for October 27, 2026 Attachment meaning

A digital file, document or image sent along with an email message.

Body meaning

The main part of a letter, article, book or email, separate from the header or signature.

Signature meaning

A unique mark written or created on a document to prove identity,

Subject meaning

A main theme of conversation, a book or an academic branch.

Attraction meaning

A feeling of liking, interest or drawing toward another person.

Crush meaning

A strong, often temporary or unexpressed romantic liking for someone.

Feelings meaning

The conscious, subjective experience of an emotion, physical sensation or opinion

Interest meaning

A feeling that accompanies or causes special attention to something or someone.

Curiosity meaning

A strong desire to learn, know,or discover something

Opportunity meaning

A favorable time, occasion or combination of circumstances that makes it possible to do, achieve or experience something you want or need.

Perseverance meaning

The continued effort to achieve a goal, complete a task or maintain a course of action despite difficulties, failures, setbacks or opposition

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Spirit meaning

The non-physical, vital essence of a person or living thing.

Coarse meaning

Consisting of a harsh, abrasive or non-smooth surface.

Rode meaning

.The past form of ride, used to describe sitting on, being carried by or controlling an animal or a vehicle.

Rout meaning

An overwhelming defeat in a battle, sports match or election

Weigh meaning

To ascertain the heaviness of by or as if by a balance.

Have you learned the meanings and still want the things? Check out the hints and answers for today's NYT Connections puzzle.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you've got butterflies.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for October 28, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Love is in the air

• Green: Electronic communication

• Blue: Out of this world

• Purple: The way

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Romantic Liking

• Green: Components of an Email

• Blue: NASA Mars Rovers

• Purple: Homophones of Paths

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1235 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Romantic Liking: ATTRACTION, CRUSH, FEELINGS, INTEREST

• Components of an Email: ATTACHMENT, BODY, SIGNATURE, SUBJECT

• NASA Mars Rovers: CURIOSITY, OPPORTUNITY, PERSEVERANCE, SPIRIT

• Homophones of Paths: COARSE, RODE, ROUT, WEIGH

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints will be easy if you're the class clown.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 28, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Comedy club

The words describe making people laugh.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe where you'd go for a stand-up show.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Funny Business.

NYT Strands word list for October 28

• Slapstick

• Sketch

• Farce

• Burlesque

• Funny Business

• Improv

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you make food from scratch.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for October 28, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Grain.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter G.

The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

GRIST

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

SAVE $400: As of Oct. 27, the 27-inch LG UltraGear OLED QHD Gaming Monitor (27GS93QE) is on sale for $499.99 at Amazon. That's down from its standard $899.99 list price — a 44% discount and its best price ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 27-inch UltraGear OLED Gaming Monitor (27GS93QE) $499.99 at Amazon
$899.99 Save $400   Get Deal at Amazon

If you've been waiting for a deal on high-end OLED, the 27-inch LG UltraGear Gaming Monitor (27GS93QE) is on sale for $499.99 at Amazon. That is a $400 discount, or 44% off its usual $899.99 tag, matching the lowest price we have ever tracked for the screen.

Speed is the main draw here, and LG built this panel to keep action silky smooth. The QHD 1440p resolution delivers crisp visuals, backed by an ultra-fast 240Hz refresh rate and a near-instant 0.03ms response time, virtually eliminating ghosting and motion blur during frantic shootouts. You also get official Nvidia G-Sync Compatibility and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, which work together to eliminate distracting screen tearing and stutter when frame rates fluctuate.

Visual fidelity also gets a big boost thanks to self-lit OLED pixels. Certified with VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 and an impressive 1.5 million-to-one contrast ratio, it delivers inky blacks and sharp details in dark scenes without washed-out gray tones. It also covers up to 98.5% of the DCI-P3 color spectrum for rich, vibrant hues, while an anti-glare, low-reflection coating keeps stray room lighting from ruining your focus.

The physical build is also just as flexible as the display. An ultra-thin, slim-bezel frame leaves plenty of room on your desk, and the included stand lets you adjust height, tilt, and pivot between landscape and vertical modes. You can switch through preset modes for FPS or RTS titles, and you get both HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 ports to hit 240Hz speed, whether you are plugged into a PC or a modern game console.

If you've been eyeing a high-refresh OLED upgrade, hit Amazon and grab this 27-inch display before the $400 discount disappears.

SAVE $500: As of Oct. 27, the wire-free Roborock RockMow X130H 4WD robot lawn mower is on sale for $1,999.98 at Amazon. That's down from its typical $2,499.99 list price — its best price to date.

Opens in a new window Credit: Roborock Roborock RockMow X130H 4WD Robot Lawn Mower $1,999.98 at Amazon
$2,499.99 Save $500.01   Get Deal at Amazon

Tending to a sprawling yard usually means giving up half your weekend, but Amazon has a steep markdown to help you take that time back.

The wire-free Roborock RockMow X130H robot lawn mower is down to $1,999.98, saving you $500 off its typical $2,499.99 sticker price. That 20% discount marks the best price ever for this heavy-duty model, making it a great time to automate your yard work before next season rolls around.

Setting it up does not require spending hours digging trenches to bury boundary wires. The mower can handle properties up to a full acre and lets you choose how to map your space. You can let the machine chart an open yard on its own, or steer it through the companion app like a remote-controlled car to set custom lines around flowerbeds and tricky landscaping. To keep from wandering off course, it pairs satellite positioning with four built-in cameras, allowing it to navigate reliably past tall fences, thick tree cover, and shaded corners.

SEE ALSO: Early Black Friday home improvement deals save big on power tools, smart lights, home security, and more.

Tough terrain is not an issue, either. It uses true four-wheel drive and a dynamic suspension setup to climb steep hills with slopes up to 80% and roll right over roots and bumps up to 3.15 inches tall. Active steering keeps it agile, so tight turns never rip up your grass. A wide 9.49-inch cutting deck lets you pick grass heights between 1.57 and 3.54 inches, while four intelligent sensors spot pets, stray patio furniture, and garden tools to steer clear of trouble.

You can also manage the whole routine from your phone. The app lets you create separate mowing schedules for different parts of your yard and includes a wildlife-safe setting to keep local animals protected. Built-in 4G service, a loud siren, a PIN lockout, and real-time GPS tracking round out the package, keeping the mower safe from curious hands while it keeps your lawn tidy on its own.

Grab the Roborock RockMow X130H robot lawn mower at its record-low $1,999.99 price before the deal ends.

TL;DR: Get lifetime Microsoft Project Professional 2024 license for Windows for just $49.97 (reg. $1,299.99).

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Project Professional 2024: Lifetime License for Windows $49.97
$1,129.99 Save $1,080.02   Get Deal

A project gets complicated when changing one deadline affects five other tasks. But there are ways to make your project life easier. Microsoft Project Professional 2024 for Windows is $49.97 (reg. $1,299.99) through Nov. 1, giving you a lifetime license for one PC and tools to manage those connections.

Pre-built templates provide a starting point, so you can focus on the work instead of building a plan from scratch. Set task dependencies, and Project can automatically populate start and end dates based on how those tasks relate.

The visual tools make detailed schedules easier to follow. Multiple timelines show different parts of a project, while task path highlighting in Gantt charts reveals relationships between activities. That visibility helps when you need to understand what a schedule change could affect.

What-if scenarios let you explore task assignments before committing to adjustments. Baselines then give you a reference point for comparing actual progress with the original plan, which is useful when a status update needs more substance than “we’re getting there.”

Built-in reports, including Burndown and Resource Overview, help communicate progress and resource information to stakeholders. Timesheets capture time spent on project and non-project work for payroll, invoicing, and other needs.

For connected workflows, Project supports synchronization with Project Online and Project Server. Microsoft Teams for Business integration can show colleagues’ presence and enable chats or calls, but it requires a separate Teams license.

Get Microsoft Project Professional 2024 for Windows for one $49.97 payment through Nov. 1.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Finding good Discord servers relevant to your interests can be tough unless you sift through Discord's own database or get an invite to one.

The popular messaging and chat service is looking to solve that problem with an obvious yet big change to the platform. Discord will now make public servers discoverable through Google Search.

On Tuesday, Discord announced that starting Nov. 16, 2026, all Discoverable Servers will receive a Server Web Page. These public Server Web Pages will include summaries of discussions happening in that public server. In addition, starting in mid-December, some messages within these servers will be made publicly accessible on the Server Web Page. There will be no need for visitors to join the server or even have a Discord account in order to see these messages.

SEE ALSO: Discord now checks your age based on your activity and other factors

On Discord, users can join public servers or private servers, which require an invite. Public servers can also be Discoverable Servers, meaning they are listed in Discord's searchable database of 63,000 Discoverable Servers, which anyone can join.

However, Discover servers, even Discoverable Servers, are not listed in Google Search, as servers don't have a public web page for Google to index. While public servers are open to anyone, users must join with their Discord account to see messages and discussions.

There are many reasons for Discord to make this change. In its announcement, the company explained how it will help some of its main user types — indie game developers, fandoms, and content creators — grow their communities and more easily spread their work. 

Other community platforms like Reddit have long benefited from search engine traffic as discussions on the platform tend to rank well for various user search queries on Google. Discord could also benefit from this.

However, Discord seems to be aware that some users on the platform have long valued its privacy stance. The company announced that both server owners and users on a server can opt out of making their content searchable by search engines.

Discord server admins can opt out of specific channels starting today, before anything goes live on Nov. 16, 2026. Admins can go to Server Settings > Web Presence on their public server and choose which channels to make searchable. Admins can opt out of every one of their server's channels. If an admin does not opt out, however, all public channels will be added to the Server Web Page when it goes live next month. Admins can also choose to turn off channel summaries on their Server Web Page.

In addition, users can opt out of having their messages displayed on the Server Web Page. Discord users can simply go to User Settings, then Data and Privacy, and then change their Channel Messages settings. Users cannot opt out of having their messages used in Channel Summaries on Server Web Pages. However, usernames and avatars won't be shown next to messages on these public Server Web Pages.

Private servers and DMs will remain completely private on Discord. Users do not need to change any settings for these features.

An overflowing inbox is stressful enough, but reading work emails with phrases like "Going forward" or "Not sure if you saw this" can send some workers over the edge, at least according to a new study.

ZeroBounce, an email validation platform, revealed the results of its survey of 2,000 American and European professionals on email vernacular. Specifically, the survey examined common email phrases and whether they are perceived as passive-aggressive.

The phrase that topped the list of most passive-aggressive email sayings? "Just to be clear." That statement was cited as the most passive-aggressive phrase by 21 percent of respondents, followed by "Per my last email" (14 percent), with "Kindly note" and "As previously discussed" tied for third place at 10 percent each.

SEE ALSO: AI job interviewers are going viral on TikTok

Other hated sayings included "Just checking in," "Not sure if you saw this," "Going forward," "For future reference," and "Friendly reminder."

ZeroBounce also asked respondents what passive-aggressive phrases they still use in their workday. Seen as necessary evils, apparently, "Thanks in advance," "Following up," "Just checking in," and "Any updates" were at the top of that list.

"People may not intend to sound passive-aggressive when they write an email," Liviu Tanase, founder and CEO of ZeroBounce, said in a statement. "But some phrases have picked up so much baggage that the reader perceives light hostility. 'Just to be clear' is a perfect example. It sounds neutral, but more than half of the professionals surveyed read something else into it."

The survey also examined phrases that go beyond being irritating and are instantly stress-inducing. The most stressful email phrases are "Need this ASAP" (56 percent), "Can we chat?" (40 percent), "Action required" (34 percent), and "Let's take this offline" (27 percent).

See the full survey results here, including data on how many unopened emails workers consider "too many."

Read more of our creator coverage, sign up for our Trending Now and Top Stories newsletters, or get Mashable push alerts to discover the internet's most exciting voices.

The Golden State Valkyries could win their first WNBA championship on Thursday morning. Watching them do it might require an awkward conversation with your boss: The WNBA announced Monday that Game 6 of the Finals against the Atlanta Dream will tip off at 12:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 29 — 9:30 a.m. in the Bay Area, where the Valkyries are based.

Valkyries guard Veronica Burton has a suggestion. "Call in sick. I recommend it," she said after Golden State’s Monday-night win, according to reporter Annie Costabile. That victory gave the team a 3–2 series lead and a chance to clinch a title in the franchise’s second season — provided its fans can clear their work calendars to watch.

The issue comes down to two teams needing the same arena. The Dream's usual home, Gateway Center Arena, holds approximately 3,500 spectators. Atlanta hosted Finals Games 3 and 4 at the roughly 17,000-seat State Farm Arena instead, selling out both games. Keeping Game 6 there, however, meant working around the Atlanta Hawks, who were already scheduled to host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday evening.

The solution? A doubleheader. Move the WNBA game from 8 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. and delay the Hawks’ tipoff by an hour, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert thanked the teams, leagues, arena, and broadcaster "for the collaboration and flexibility that made this move possible."

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Fans were less enthusiastic about the flexibility now required of them.

"How are we supposed to watch this game in the middle of the workday?? This is so strange to me," one commenter asked on Reddit's r/wnba. Another Atlanta-based commenter said they had planned to attend but now couldn't even watch live. "I’d rather them play at Gateway so at least folks could watch it in real time," they wrote.

Flavor Flav offered fans some help getting the afternoon off, posting a signed permission slip to give their bosses. "Consider it your contribution to gender equality," he wrote in the document.

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Commentators across sports offered their own (rather heated) opinions. To Richard Deitsch, host of the Sports Media Podcast, the timing threatened to undercut the moment the season had been building toward. "The prospect of crowning a champion on a Thursday afternoon is just brutal optics (and will be brutal television ratings.)," he wrote on X.

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The Ringer founder Bill Simmons sounded similarly exasperated with league leadership, writing, "People want to like this league!"

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Their frustration comes after a season of record audience growth for the WNBA. According to the league, 51 regular-season telecasts averaged at least one million viewers, up from 19 last year. Its social accounts generated four billion views, with engagement up 24 percent from 2025. The demand is there, which helps explain why making a potential championship game harder to watch has struck such a nerve.

For some critics, the decision also sends a message about how the players are valued. Former NFL player and commentator Emmanuel Acho called it "high-key disrespectful" to the sport and its athletes.

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In the Reddit discussion, some fans also questioned why a women's Finals game had to work around a men's regular-season matchup in the first place, with many finding the whole ordeal wildly "mysoginistic" and exposed a blaring double standard. "If this were a men’s game, this time would never even be considered," one Reddit commenter said. Another commenter in r/WNBATalks wrote, "If society was less misogynistic, it wouldn’t be an issue."

Women's sports creator and podcast host Coach Jackie also questioned the decision in a video posted to Instagram. "Somebody could become a WNBA champion over brunch? During lunch? While you’re in a Teams meeting? Did you think it through?" she asked.

The players, meanwhile, have been more measured. Dream guard Jordin Canada welcomed the chance to play in front of another State Farm Arena crowd, while teammate Allisha Gray kept her focus on what was at stake.

"It’s the Finals, you gotta do what you gotta do," Gray told the San Francisco Chronicle. "We can play at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., midnight, you have a championship to win."

X would like you to pay to promote your posts. And if you've managed to ignore the button offering that option, a giant hand may soon point it out for you.

Users across the Elon Musk-owned social media platform have been sharing screenshots of a hand appearing while they compose posts, directing their attention toward the Promote button. The animation is hard to miss, which appears to be the point.

"I just went to write a tweet and a massive hand popped up pointing to the promote button," The Verge’s Tom Warren wrote on X on Oct. 26.

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The button offers paid promotion, allowing users to spend money to get their posts in front of more people. X already offers tools for promoting posts without setting up an advertising campaign.

The hand is a particularly literal way of drawing attention to them. And it’s certainly getting noticed.

"Jumpscared the shit out of me," wrote one user. Another wrote, "I thought I’d been hacked!" describing his rather seasonal experience: "I wish I could explain how jarring this hand and animation was in the X app. It was truly shocking, almost like a Halloween gag, but I'm pretty sure it was real. I guess I see the promote button now."

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Others were less concerned with the hand's appearance than with where it was pointing. "The fact that it’s pointing at promote and not post is the real comedy here," wrote one user. Another account described the experience as getting "physically assaulted by the algorithm into buying ads." One put it plainly: "This should somehow be illegal."

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One startled user tagged @X and @grok to ask, "What is that hand? Is this a Halloween thing?" Grok replied, describing it as a new prompt encouraging users to pay for extra reach, adding that it was "Not confirmed as a Halloween prank, though the timing makes it feel like one."

That hand is a new X compose-screen nudge. A realistic (sometimes animated) arm pops up while drafting to point at the Promote button, encouraging you to boost the post for extra reach. It started rolling out in the last day or so and has jumped out at lots of people. Not confirmed as a Halloween prank, though the timing makes it feel like one. - Grok

One iOS user said the hand was more than a static graphic. "It’s animated, and you can move it around," they wrote, adding, "Hopefully it’s just a one-time popup."

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TBPN president Dylan Abruscato also shared his surprise at an arm appearing just as he was about to post. He called it the "most Nikita-coded thing I’ve ever seen," referring to the growth tactics associated with X's former product chief, Nikita Bier.

"So obstructive, yet so effective," Abruscato added.

The hand’s appearance coincides with a leadership change at X. Peter Sellis, a former product executive at Snapchat and Discord, announced on Oct. 26 that he was joining the company to lead product. (He hasn’t said whether he had a hand in this particular update. Get it?)

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It’s also unclear how widely the hand is appearing. One Android user said they hadn’t encountered it. Another user said it disappeared before they could capture it.

For now, the hand has succeeded in getting people to post about the Promote button. Getting them to actually pay to use it might require a different, more subtle approach.

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Apple's M6 Macs finally arrived on Tuesday, two weeks after the company's "Welcome Home" smart home launch. The announcement, part of another slate of press releases Apple dropped ahead of its private Pro and Tell event on Wednesday, Oct. 28, includes a new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6, a refreshed iMac with M6, and a round of AI features for Apple Creator Studio, the company's subscription bundle of creative apps.

The timing isn't a surprise. When the M6 MacBooks were missing from the Oct. 13 home announcements, Mashable reported that Bloomberg's Mark Gurman still expected them in October. For the time being, though, outlets like MacRumors report that the expected touchscreen MacBook Pro won't be announced until Wednesday — so check back here after tomorrow for more details.

SEE ALSO: Apple massively increases trade-in values for iPads and Macs. See the list.

In the meantime, Apple's M6 chip is the main upgrade here. Both machines keep their existing designs, and Apple's pitch leans hard on running AI locally. According to Apple, M6 adds two CPU cores and two GPU cores over its predecessor, puts Neural Accelerators in every GPU core, and pairs them with a new dual 16-core Neural Engine and up to 170GB/s of memory bandwidth. Apple frames the result as a platform for running large language models (LLMs) on-device while keeping data private.

It’s the same AI push Apple made with its home devices. As Mashable noted earlier this month, Gurman has argued the AI boom caught Apple off guard. Both Macs ship with macOS 27 Golden Gate, which brings Siri AI, Apple’s rebuilt assistant. Apple says it can draw on personal context from messages, email, and photos, answer questions on virtually any topic, and act across apps.

Here's everything Apple announced for the Mac on Oct. 27:

14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 Credit: Apple

The headline product is the 14-inch MacBook Pro, which gets M6's 12-core CPU. Apple says M6 features the world’s fastest CPU core. Apple claims the 12-core GPU is up to 30 percent faster at graphics and up to 25 percent faster at AI workloads than M5, while the Neural Engine is up to 1.9x faster. Owners of an M1 model could see bigger jumps: Apple cites up to 11x faster graphics and up to 13x faster AI performance.

Apple's AI benchmarks are the more telling numbers. It says LLM prompt processing delivers a first token up to 1.3x faster than the M5 model, with similar gains in Blender rendering and Xcode builds.

Battery life is rated at up to 24 hours, which Apple calls the longest ever in a Mac, and fast charging reaches 50 percent in 30 minutes with a 96W adapter. Memory starts at 16GB and tops out at 32GB. Wireless connectivity upgrades to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and the laptop supports up to two external displays.

Speaking of displays, the MacBook Pro has a Liquid Retina XDR display (with up to 1,600 nits of peak HDR brightness and a nano-texture option), a 12MP Center Stage camera, six speakers, and the same ports, including HDMI, MagSafe 3, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, and an SDXC slot.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 starts at $1,999, or $1,899 with education pricing, and comes in space black and silver. Apple Upgrade leases start at $38.99 per month for 36 months. Pre-orders open Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the U.S. and 34 other countries and regions, with availability beginning Friday, Nov. 6.

iMac with M6

The iMac skips M5 entirely, jumping from M4 straight to M6. Apple says the CPU and GPU each gain two cores, with configurations offering up to 12 cores apiece, delivering up to 2x faster graphics than M4. Again, Apple’s big claim is the iMac’s ability to run AI locally. The company says the iMac runs on-device AI up to 5x faster than M4, including prompt processing in LM Studio. For anyone still on an Intel iMac, Apple reports an overall performance gain of up to 18x.

Connectivity gets some of the more practical upgrades. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 come standard, available 2.5Gb Ethernet is up to 2.5x faster than before, and Apple says SSD speeds have doubled. Up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports support two 6K external displays.

The rest of the iMac is unchanged, including the 24-inch 4.5K Retina display, 12MP Center Stage camera, color-matched accessories, and seven colors: blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, orange, and silver.

The iMac with M6 starts at $1,499 ($1,449 for education) with a 10-core CPU and GPU, and $1,699 ($1,599 for education) with a 12-core CPU and GPU. That base price matches what the M4 iMac currently sells for after a $200 increase in June, according to MacRumors. Apple Upgrade leases start at $28.99 per month for 36 months. Pre-orders open Wednesday, Oct. 28, with availability beginning Friday, Nov. 6.

Apple Creator Studio Credit: Apple

Apple also gave its new Macs more AI software to run. Apple Creator Studio adds intelligent assistants (in beta) to Logic Pro for Mac and to Keynote, Pages, and Numbers. Notably, Apple says those assistants are built on a combination of its own models and OpenAI’s. Keynote, Pages, and Numbers also gain Model Context Protocol (MCP) support, which lets third-party AI agents read documents, make edits, and run automated actions inside the apps.

Elsewhere, Final Cut Pro for Mac now includes MotionVFX's library of effects, transitions, and templates, and Pixelmator Pro adds Generate Fill for editing selected parts of an image using text prompts. Logic Pro's Stem Splitter can now separate drums.

The Creator Studio updates arrive in November at no additional cost for existing subscribers. The subscription costs $12.99 per month or $129 per year, with education pricing of $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year.

ICYMI: iPad mini with A20 Pro

Apple's week of announcements technically started Monday with the iPad mini, which Apple calls the tablet's "biggest update ever." The headline change is a larger 8.5-inch OLED display that fits in the same footprint, thanks to 24 percent thinner bezels. Apple says peak brightness reaches 1,200 nits, more than double that of the previous model, and a nano-texture option is available.

The A20 Pro chip follows the same local AI script as the M6. It has Neural Accelerators in each GPU core, and Apple claims up to 4.5x faster AI performance than the previous generation. The tablet is also thinner, at 5.4mm, and adds IP67 water and dust resistance, a 12MP front camera on the landscape edge, and Apple's N1 wireless and C2 cellular chips.

The iPad mini starts at $699 for Wi-Fi and $849 for Wi-Fi + Cellular (education pricing starts at $649), and comes in midnight and starlight. Pre-orders open Wednesday, Oct. 28, with availability beginning Friday, Nov. 6.